Tap-dancing shoe



Aug. 17, 1937. 5 LAND] Re. 20,472

TAP DANCING SHOE Original Filed Nov. 14, 1955 Fig. 5.

mama Q76 Landi' INVENTOR ATTORNEY Reissued Aug. 17, 1937 I UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE No. 697,984, November 14, 1933.

Application for reissue April 8, 1937, Serial No. 135,704

6 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in dancing shoes of the type foruse particularly in tap -or clog dancing.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an inexpensivedurable means for incorporation in the sole of a dancing shoe andoperative at will by contact with the floor to produce a snapping orsimilar sound for emphasizing the rhythm of the dance music andattracting the attention of the audience to selected steps in the dance.

Another object is to provide means for the purpose above set forth whichis operated by pressure and by very slight efiort on the part of thedancer.

To the accomplishment of the above and other objects presentlyappearing, a preferred embodiment of my invention has been illustratedin the accompanying drawing and will now be described in detail anddefined in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a View, partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinalsection, of a portion of a 2,5 dancing shoe equipped according to myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary bottom plan view, with a cover plate, formingpart of the invention, removed; and

3 Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the cover plate.

Reference being had to the drawing, I designates the front portion of adancing shoe including the upper 2, sole 3 and insole 4.

35 Incorporated in a suitable cut-out portion 5, extending rearwardlyfrom the toe end of the sole 3, is a support or housing member 6including an upper wall I, end walls 8, side walls, one of which isshown at 9, and a lateral flange ID by 40 means of which the housing issecured to the sole 3, as by nails III. A tappet member II is mounted inthe housing 6 by a pivot pin I2 for vertical rocking movement by contactwith the floor. Preferably one end of the tappet member is pro- 45 videdwith a button I3 of smooth rounded form for contacting with the floor toproduce the desired rocking motion of a tappet. Tappet mem ber II has anupper wall I4, a portion of which is normally substantially parallelwith the sole 3 50 and spaced slightly therefrom, the remaining portionof said wall l4 inclining away from said wall I for a purpose presentlyclear. Intermediate the tappet member I I and wall I is a soundproducing member I5 preferably formed of thin 55 sheet metal and havinga centrally located convex portion I6 bearing against the slantingportion of the wall I4 so that said convex portion is compressed betweenthe wall I and member II by rocking of the latter upwardly. The memberI5 and its portion I5 are designed to produce a snapping or crackingsound when compressed by the aforesaid rocking movement of the tappet IIand also when released by rocking movement of the tappet in the oppositedirection.

Preferably the snapper member I5 has one end secured, as by nails IT, toone end of the tappet member II and the latter is hollow, as shown inFig. 1, to act as a sound augmenting or amplifying chamber for themember I5. A cover plate I8 is secured over the housing I, as by nailsI9, and provided with a central aperture 20 thru which the button I 3projects and a series of apertures 2| to prevent the cover plate I8 fromdeadening the sound produced.

It is thought that the operation of the dancing tap of my invention willbe clear from the foregoing description thereof. The resilient snappermember I5 is active for normally urging the tappet member II to anoperable position with the button I3 thereof ready to contact the floor.Engagement of the tappet button I3 by contact with the floor iseffective for compressing the snapper member l5 and for producing asnapping sound. Release of the tappet button I3 from contact with thefloor is effective for releasing the snapper member I5 to produce asecond snapping sound and a return of the tappet member to its operableposition. It is to be understood that while a preferred embodiment ofthe invention has been illustrated and described, right is hereinreserved to such changes in form. and modification in structure as fallwithin the scope of the protection prayed.

What is claimed is:

1. A shoe including, a housing incorporated in the sole thereof andhaving an upper wall, a tappet member pivoted in said housing forrocking movement by contact with the floor, and a pressure operatedsound producing member adapted to be compressed between said wall andtappet member by rocking movement of the latter.

2. A dancing tap comprising a support for attachment to a shoe, a tappetmember movably mounted relatively to said support and having anoperating part contactable with the floor for moving the tappet member,and a snapper member connected to be operated by movement of said tappetmember to produce a snapping sound.

3. A dancing tap comprising a support for attachment to a shoe, a,tappet member movably mounted relatively to said support and having anoperating part contactable with the floor for moving the tappet member,and a resilient pressure operated snapper member connected to beoperated by movement of said tappet member to produce a snapping sound,the resiliency of the snapper member being active for normally urgingthe tappet member toan operable position.

4. A dancing tap comprising a housing support for attachment to a shoe,a tappet member movably mounted in said housing support and having anoperating part projecting through said housing support and contactablewith the floor for moving the tappet member, and a resilient snappermember in said support located between said tappet member and a part ofsaid support, the said snapper member being active for normally urgingthe tappet member to an operable position, engagement of the operatingpart of the tappet member by contact with the floor being effective forcompressing the snapper member and producing a snapping sound andrelease of said contact being effective for releasing the snappingmember to produce a snapping sound and a return of the tappet member toits operable position.

5. A dancing tap comprising a housing support for attachment to a shoe,a tappet member movably mounted in said housing support and having anoperating part projecting through said housing support and contactablewith the floor for moving the tappet member, and a. resilient snappermember secured at one of its ends to said tappet member and having itsother end free for engaging a part of said support, the said snappermember being active for normally urging the tappet member to an operableposition, engagement of the operating part of the tappet member bycontact with the floor being effective for compressing the snappermember and producing a snapping sound and release of said contact beingeffective for releasing the snapping member to produce a snapping soundand a return of the tappet member to its operable position.

6. A dancing tap comprising a housing support for attachment to a shoe,a tappet member oscillatably mounted in said housing support and havingan operating part projecting through said housing support andcontactable with the floor for oscillating the tappet member, and asnapper member in said support located between said tappet member and apart of said support, the said snapper member being active for normallyurging the tappet member to an operable position, engagement of theoperating part of the tappet member by contact with the floor beingeffective for compressing the snapper member and producing a snappingsound and release of said contact being effective for releasing thesnapping member to produce a snapping sound and a return of the tappetmember to its operable position.

EMANUELE LANDI.

